Book rack



Nov. 13, 1962 R. R. cAMPB ELL BOOK RACK Filed June 22, 1960 UnitedStates Patent 3,063,567 BOOK RACK Robert R. Campbell, 4810 HaddingtonRoad, Toledo, Ohio Filed June 22, 1960, Ser. No. 37,948 3 Claims. (Cl.21143) This invention relates to an expansible, collapsible rack,designed to be used on a desk or table, to hold thereon books, or thelike.

An object of the invention is to support one or a plurality of books, orthe like, having varying widths and thicknesses, in substantially theentire length of the rack.

Another object is to provide a rack for books, or the like, whichapplies suflicient pressure to the books placed in the rack so thatseveral items can be removed without readjustment of the holding means.

A further object is to provide a rack for books, or the like, that iscollapsible for storage and shipping, and can be economicallymanufactured from uniform size metal wire, plastic rod, or the like,which is preferably suitable for receiving an ornamental finish, suchas, in the case of metal, by electroplating.

Other objects and advantages of this invention relating to thearrangements, operation, and function of the related elements of thestructure, to various details of construction, to combinations of parts,and to economies of manufacture will be apparent to those skilled in theart upon consideration of the following description and appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification wherein like reference characters designate correspondingparts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing the compressionmembers in vertical positions.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device showing, in phantom, aplurality of books, or the like, being held in position by the verticalcompression members.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an end elevation of the device taken on line3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial plan view showing one of the hingedlocking means of the compression members with relation to the basemember, and

FIG. 5 is a view, partly in section, taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, a rack is shownhaving a base member 12, and two vertical compression members 14 and 16,between which books, or the like, are adapted to be supported. The basemember 12 may be constructed of three longitudinally-extending steelbars 18, 20, and 22 positioned in spaced relation, and held at theiropposite ends by at least two transverse bars 24 and 26. The transversebars are electrically welded to the top surfaces of the threelongitudinal bars.

As illustrated in the drawing, the two outer longitudinal bars 18 and 22are longer than the center bar 20, providing leg portions 28, 30, 32,and 34, which are bent downward in an angular position, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, and are provided with balls 36, 38, 40, and 42 ofpolished steel or other available material secured thereto to formsupporting feet. All of the bars are preferably formed from a uniformsize steel wire which is suitable for electroplating.

The vertical compression frames 14 and 16 comprise inverted U shapedmembers 44 and 46, preferably fabricated from the same steel wire as thebars, which are electrically welded at their ends to cross rods 48 and50, respectively. Two vertically-extending bars, having curvedconfigurations, are permanently secured on each Patented Nov. 13, 1 962compression frame, preferably by welding, to provide additional supportfor rigidity and ornamentality. Curved bars 60 and 62 are provided oncompression frame 14, and curved bars 64 and 66 are provided oncompression frame 16. The lower ends of bars, as viewed in FIG. 1, aresecured, preferably by electrically welding to cross rods 48 and 50 inspaced relation near the center of frames, while the outwardly curvedupper ends of bars are similarly fastened to the upper portion of thevertical members of the frames.

Cross rod 48 is provided on its ends with integral 0 shaped locking andhinging means 52 and 54, and cross rod 50 is also provided with twosimilar ends 56 and 58. The integral 0 shaped ends 52, 54, 56, and 58 ofcross rods 48 and 50 embrace the longitudinal bars 18,

and 22 within the bight of the C, as is most clearly shown in FIG. 5.The upper arms of the 0 portion are provided with friction members 70,'72, 74, and 76, preferably made of a molded plastic material such asvinyl. By referring to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the C shapedelements on the ends of the transverse bars 48 and 50 are positioned atan angle of approximately 45 degrees with the vertical position of thecompression members 44 and 46. The fact that the longitudinal bars 18and 22 are positioned within the bight of these 0 shaped elements,combined with the angular relation of the parts, provides a hingingaction when the friction elements are in loose contact with thelongitudinal bars so that the vertical members may be collapsed into asubstantially parallel relation with the base. An adjustment is alsoprovided with a locking means, as will be more fully describedhereinafter.

When the rack 10 is assembled, the cross rods 48 and 50, of thecompression members 14 and 16, are placed under the three longitudinalbars 18, 20, and 22, with the integral C shaped portions 52, 54, 56, and58 thereof so positioned that the molded friction members 70, 72, 74,and 76 will contact the top surface of the two outer longitudinal bars18 and 22 of the base member. As shown in FIG. 2, the cross rods 48 and50 are positioned on the U shaped frames 44 and 46 so that the C shapedends are in an angular relation to the vertical plane of the compressionmembers 14 and 16.

The C shaped portions partially embrace the'two outer longitudinalmembers of the base so that theyv are positioned in the bights of the '0members. The main portions of the U shaped members are welded to thecentral portion of the bars 48 and 50 between the C shaped ends and alsobetween the spaced longitudinal bars 18 and 22 so that the bars arepermanently trapped within the 0 portion to provide a combinationhinging means, allowing limited rotation of the compression members forcollapsing and a locking means which fixes the position of thecompression member on the base member at a selected juxtaposition. Thevertical compression members are permanently assembled in adjustablerelation to the base member 12.

When the device is to be used to hold books, or the like, adjustment ofone, or both, of the compression members 14 and 16 is accomplished bymoving the members about the hinging means so that the cross bars 48 and50 rotate about their own axis in the bight of the C portions. Byrotating the compression members toward each other, the plastic coveredends of the 0 portions will release their friction grip on thelongitudinal members 18 and 22, allowing the compression members to bemoved to any desired cooperative position on the base member. Byrotating the compression members away from each other about the hingingmeans until they are substantially disposed in a vertical plane, andinserting books, or the like, in the space therebetween,

the plastic members will bind on the top surface of the longitudinalmembers '13 and 22, preventing lateral movement of the compressionmembers with relation to the base member, and at the same time willapply a resilient pressure on books, or the like, which are positionedbetween them.

The angle between the vertical plane of the compression members and theangular plane of the C shaped ends is such that the binding action ofthe C shaped ends on the outer longitudinal members is applied shortlybefore the compression members reach a vertical position. This angulararrangement and the ratio of the respective lever arms provides alocking means to prevent lateral movement of the compression members.The wire used to fabricate the members is resilient, so that thecompressive force is resiliently applied to the books over aconsiderable space so that even if a book is removed, the remainingbooks will still be maintained in substantial vertical position.

The hinged relation of the compression members at the C shaped ends alsoprovides collapsibility of the rack. When the rack is not in use or forshipping; the compression members are rotated toward each other untilthey are in substantially a horizontal nested position, resting on thetop surface of the base member.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of thepresent invention is intended to disclose an embodiment thereof to thoseskilled in the art, but that the invention is not to be construed aslimited in its application to the details of construction andarrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since theinvention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various wayswithout departing from the spirit 6f the invention. For example, thebase and compression members may be made of material other than metalwire, such as plastic rod, or the like. The members may be securedtogether by other than a welding process. The language used in thespecification relating to the operation and function of the elements ofthe invention is employed for purposes of description and not oflimitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the followingclaims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

What is claimed: 7

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of horizontally disposedbars held in parallel relation by transversely extending bars adjacenttheir ends to form a base member, a pair of fiat compression memberssubstantially vertically-disposed between the bars of the base memberbeing adapted to be mutually adjustable with relation to each otheralong the bars of the base member to hold books or the like betweenthem, transverse lower bars positioned below the parallel bars of thebase member integral with each of the compression members having theirfree ends reversely-bent in C-shaped conformations, being dimensioned toloosely fit over the parallel spaced bars of the base member to beslideable therealong, said parallel bars of the base member beingtrapped in the bights of the reversely-bent portions to preventdisengagement, the reversely-bent portions being disposed on oppositesides of their respective compression members at an angular relation ofapproximately 45 degrees thereto, whereby the compression members arefreely hinged to the base member to be pivotally movable toward eachotherto form a nesting relation parallel to the base member, but areresiliently locked in spaced parallel relation in a verticallongitudinallyadjusted position about a held object when a reversepivoted movement about the reversely-bent portions occurs.

2. In a device of the class described, a base member comprising at leasta pair of parallel bars held in spaced relation, a pair of transversebars positioned below the parallel bars having reversely-bent endsextending generally upwardly to form C-shaped bights which looselyembrace the parallel bars of the base member, verticallyextendingcompression members positioned between the parallel bars and affixed tthe transverse bars below the parallel bars of the base member in aposition whereby the bights on the transverse bars extend at an angle ofapproximately 45 degrees to the vertical toward the ends of the parallelbars, so that the compression members are loosely hinged to the parallelbars of the base member to allow pivotal movement toward each other intoa nesting relation parallel to the base member, but on pivotal movementin the opposite direction will lock the compression members in vertical,adjusted positions.

3. In a device of the class described, a base member comprising at leasta pair of horizontal parallel bars held in spaced relation,vertically-extending compression members positioned transversely betweenthe parallel bars and extending below the bars, functionally integralextensions on the bottom ends of said compression members formed asC-shaped bights loosely embracing the parallel bars of the base memberconnected to the compression members below the bars and extendingoutwardly and upwardly at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to thevertical to the rear of the compression members, the free end portionsof the C-shaped bights overlying in part the upper sides of the parallelbars of the base member, whereby the compression members are held inengagement with the base member but adapted t slide along the basemember and pivot from a locked vertical position about the hingedrelation formed by the C-shaped bights to a nesting condition insuperposed relation parallel to the bars of the base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS497,993 Thomson May 23, 1893 1,006,328 Widenhofer Oct. 17, 19111,477,284 Ringer Dec. 11, 1923 2,222,089 Satfell Nov. 19, 1940 2,488,664Cruber Nov. 22, 1949 2,656,140 Petruschell Oct. 20, 1953 2,679,736Duchin June 1, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 848,331 France of 1939

